Excess

Never go to excess, but let moderation be your guide.

~Marcus Tullius Cicero

Moderation. An inspired notion. I think a person {let's call her, Visa--no pun intended} can live in moderation of most things, content with what she has. However, in regard to the following items, we can see that these words of counsel have fallen on deaf ears. Translation: See below for items in which a person can simply have TOO many:

Pillows. Someone stop me.

Cards of greeting, coming out of my ears. Mostly found on clearance that I just couldn't resist. Thank you. Thinking of You. Happy Birthday. But mostly, Blank, just because...





Ribbons. rIbBoNs. RIBBONS.

Cookie cutters. Everything from A-Z. {Literally. Can you see the alphabet?}

Maple leaf. Check.

Miniature chili pepper. Check.

Rubber ducky. Check.

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On the contrary, there are certain things in which a person may never want to be found in moderation. For example, her love of God and family, or her devotion to her beliefs. Right? These are things in which we would not want to be found "lukewarm". {I just read this talk, and so I'm on one. Now, back to the lighter side of things...}

The following are more things, tangible or not, of which this person would prefer her life always be in excess:

Hearty laughter.

Time.

Skim milk. Honestly.

This...

...and that...

...and this...

...and an extra dose of this, please.

Never too much of this.

Reflect upon Him...

...by clicking this:

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

You've seen it before, but it is worth many a re-run.

A deadline, a CLOSED sign and feeling fine.

Today is April 15th.

Tax season is officially over.

My husband has worked his you-know-what off and is tuckered.

He was craving some See's Candy {and who am I to deny him?}, so when he got home from work at a completely reasonable time, we took the kids over to Park West in search of chocolate.

Closed.

{sigh.} Why does Park West close everything so early?

Next stop, Bath & Body Works because, well, I cannot walk by without it using its' magnetic force on me...

I then suggested we use the Cold Stone gift card that was burning a hole in Steve's pocket. Yes! was the unanimous reply.

We piled back in the silver van and then the driver took us in an unexpected direction: Massage Envy.

I look at the driver. What?

Go ahead, I'll go get the kids some ice cream and we'll be back in a little while.

Um...wait...what? {I'm thinking, Aren't you the one that needs the massage? Taxes, hunched-back over desk, stress?}

Just go.

So, I went. And Stefan worked some serious magic on my serious mommy-knots.

I later returned to the silver van of bouncing children--high on ice cream delirium and singing to High School Musical--and my very own adorable accountant who was cleaning out the wrappers and rubbish accumulated from the harried weeks without him...so dreamy.

And I am not making this up--

--my massage therapist's name really was Stefan.

Crafty, Creative, Copycat and Crazy

For the past few weeks, I have had some sort of compulsive tendencies regarding craftiness. Maybe it's something I ate....I just keep getting ideas and have to regurgitate them somehow. Wanna see?

Project One

I was thrilled when I found these panels with grommets at a yard sale! They were too short for our windows, so I added some brown silk {on clearance} and a grosgrain ribbon trim to the bottom and--viola! I love them. I also had to LINE them which is best described as painstaking...but worth it. I was able to use two extra long white tablecloths that I already had {purchased on sale, of course} for the lining. I ended up moving the previously-hung red drapes upstairs to the kid's playloft.

Project Two

I wanted feather-filled pillows {'cause they squish so nicely when you are laying on the couch and-- because I totally need more pillows...not.}, but couldn't find the colors I wanted to coordinate with the curtains. So I found two pillows on clearance at Marshalls, unzipped the covers and made my own--with zippers! This was my first attempt at zippers. I never read instructions or use patterns...I just make it up as I go...sometimes to my detriment, but this time it worked out just fine.

Not a great photo. The one pillow looks pink, and is actually more of a rust color which matches the curtains.

Project Three

Making baby blankets for a friend's shower...why, oh why did I not take pictures of them? They were flannel receiving blankets {one-ply} that I got on clearance at Target. They had green and brown polka dots, stripes, and stars--so darling. I then attached them for double-sided cuteness with a zig-zag stitch on the trim. She is having twin boys, so it was fun to make two different, but coordinating ones.

Project Four

I bought man-size neckties at Ross and decided I was going to try to alter them down to little man-size. I got the notion from this cute gal. It was not hard, and only took about one hour per tie. Sadly, I didn't alter Preston's down enough, but he loved it. And they are not the cute elastic neck or anything, so I actually have to do the real tying thing. I was going to make one for Gav, but decided that he would not appreciate it {as the big boys do--they loved getting to pick any tie from the Ross rack and could not wait until I was done sewing them!} Besides, when Steve saw the light blue tie that I was about to massacre down to baby-size, he batted his baby-blues and gave me an, Ooh, I'd like a tie like that... So, he ended up with a new tie, and I only had to make two! For my first attempt, I was pretty pleased.

Project Five

I made a fun dessert for my friend's Easter party {see Easter post below}. This is the cake-ball recipe from famous Bakerella, but in the shape of eggs, resting deliciously upon a bed of green grass, or a nest, whatever. The nest is made using dry Chow Mein noodles and melted white chocolate, dyed green. This was pretty darn cute, if I do say so, and extremely tasty.

Project Six

Since we moved in, I have been looking for artwork for the big wall in the kids' toyloft. I wanted something vibrant and fun, but still understated. Couldn't find what I wanted within the budget {'cause let's face it: There's always something fabulous to be found outside of the budget.} so I made something up! Here are four large canvases that I painted that make me happy each time I go up the stairs...

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Not sure what spurred the craziness. I guess I just had the urge to create. You know how that goes...

La Bunny de Easter

One Easter week.
Two bunnies.
Three hunts.
Four happy children.

These are their adventures.

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The Easter Bunny makes a visit to Preston's preschool.

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The boys join in some more Easter Bunny fun with their chums.

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There must be dyed eggs.

Don't we have some unique colors?....

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The end of the week finds us at G & G Owens' house for a Grand Hunt with all the cousins.

Blessed day.

Makin' me smile today...

These roses from my garden, nestled in an old baby food jar. {'Cause I reduce, reuse, and recycle like that.}



My boys' hat fetish...reminding me of that children's book, Caps for Sale}. Oh, and also Preston's face right here. So him.

This treasure I found in my archives...me and my little bro on Halloween Circa..1984ish...My mom made that awesome wig for me. Tell me: Who else out there ever dressed up like a Cabbage Patch Kid? Yes, I thought I was the only one...



This quote.

This precious photo. Two guesses as to where my family is standing...They are standing on the future plot of the LDS Temple that is being built just 15 minutes north of us...How's that for an award-winning before and after photo-op?? {Stay tuned for the "after"}

Baptism Day

Paige was baptized last week and though it is already recorded in heaven, it is finally being recorded here! Oh, it was a wonderful day blessed with family, friends, and a very tender-hearted eight-year-old girl.

We presented Paige with the Baptism Bag that I had made for her.

These are the items found inside, which each represent something about baptism. See the card? This is what it said, {feel free to copy me, 'cause I copied this girl}:

My Baptism Bag

My baptism bag was made for me with love to help me remember how important my baptism is. I can ponder the things inside my bag before and after I am baptized.

My white bag represents how clean and pure I will be after I am baptized.

In my bag I have an eraser that represents all my sins being washed away or "erased".

I have water to remind me that I am baptized by immersion, just as Jesus was baptized.

After I am baptized, I will receive the special gift of the Holy Ghost.The little mouth helps me remember that the Holy Ghost will speak to me in a still small voice.

The ear is to help remind me to listen to the Holy Ghost so I will be able to choose the right.

As I listen to the Holy Ghost, he will comfort me. The little blanket reminds me of the great comforter that will be with me my whole life.

The bookmark signifies the importance of gaining knowledge and wisdom, especially from the scriptures.

The candle in my bag is to remind me to let my light so shine as I walk the righteous path each day. By obeying the commandments I can show my love to Heavenly Father and Jesus.

The heart in my bag shows how much my Heavenly Father and Jesus love me.

All the things in my bag baptism bag help me remember the sacred covenants I will make on my baptism day. When I choose the right my heart will fill with joy and I will be truly happy.

Then my mom presented a darling poster covered in packs of stick gum, with the following attached:

Congratulations, Paige!

We are giving eight packs of gum sticks to remind you of things we need to "stick" to.

Stick to the church, all your life through.

Stick to the truth, in all that you do.

Stick to a job, until it is done

Stick to a challenge , until you have won!

With 100 kisses too {attached bag of 100 Hershey's kisses}

Oh, my loves!

Oh, I know she's mine, but seriously, how lovely is this one?

A precious photo of Paige with two sets of her grandparents {missing are Grandpa Ben and Grandma Sandy in California}

Mommy, Paige & Daddy

Then, of course there was food...lots and lots of good food.

And cookies.

Well, a cookie bar to be exact:

These are little chocolate pops I made for all who came, saying:

Thank you for joining us on this {sweet} day!

March 28, 2009

You know there had to be a floral centerpiece...

It was such a sweet experience for Paige. The next morning before church, she got out the journal that the Primary President had given her and wrote about 8 pages worth of memories, gifts, family & friends attended, her testimony...She was very emotional during the baptismal service and at the end, she leaned over and whispered to me, This is the best day ever.

Equine time.

Inevitable upon her course

was Paige's appointment with a horse.

She's dreamed and hoped and pleaded and begged me

To ride a horse, to meet her destiny.

Just ONE for the backyard, initially in jest.

Then she matured into more reasonable requests.

Her birthday--the perfect day to shower

this girl with surprise of Equine heaven--for an hour.

One brown horse fulfilled her dream

Trotting and grooming, Miss Paige felt like a queen.

{or atleast the queen's stablegirl}

Promises for more have been bestowed,

for who am I to deny her the road...

...to her destiny.

...in which I am a mother.

"It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher. Then suddenly they disappear. "
- Dorothy Evslin

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Which reminds me: I need to enjoy this 'hood a little bit more. {I am speaking of the Motherhood}. Ya know, just not taking it for granted. Though blessed with a full life, sometimes it's abundance of full-ness makes for a lot of busy-ness. Days dotted with a lot of fingerprint-wiping, if you know what I mean. Instead of ignoring the fingerprints and enjoying the little fingers that made them in the first place...

Wiping Fingerprints: A metaphor for anything that keeps me from what's important.

Moments will often find me:

* Chanting, Okay, hurry, hurry everyone in the van!...whilst a little person is begging me to fix a lumpy sock inside their shoe and absolutely cannot budge because they are beside themselves with agony over it...

* Hurrying them to bed so I can have "me" time, and then missing them when they have drifted off to dream, sitting by their bedside marveling at their perfect eyelashes...

* Telling them to clean up those toys before we donate them to children in Africa. That night, swallowing the lump in my throat when my daughter cries about the African children who have no toys and guilts me with, Mom, I really want to build a house for those kids and give them toys, too...

These are moments in a mother's life. The joy of motherhood comes in moments, as Elder Ballard reminds us. We make of these moments what we will. We make or break them. Sometimes, I break them. But, to be fair, I can be found making the heck out of them, too. I just need to be in the moments that could really count for something.

Anna Quindlen drew a nice picture of it for me when she said:

“The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”

You've heard it, right? If not, I am happy to be the one to introduce this little nugget into your repertoire of favorite quotes on motherhood.

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Sometimes I think I hear echoes of who I am supposed to be, the mother I am supposed to be. Are they echoes from a time we knew before this time? Are the echoes deep with promises I would have made then? Things I vowed to do and hopes for the great woman I would be? I don't want to regret these years, I want to have warm memories of these years, and, more importantly, I want my children to have warm memories of these years. And I mean "warm" in a very literal sense--warm, cozy, safe.

I want them to remember the mom that let them make a mess in the kitchen when they wanted to "make up a recipe". I want them to remember the mom who let them eat all the peanut-butter playdoh, instead of playing with it. I want them to remember the mom who turned up the music and sang and danced with them 'til we were sweaty and spent. The same mom who taught them about a Father in Heaven, who loves them and has a plan for them...

Punctuated throughout those remembrances, there will be other kinds of memories, inevitable as an imperfect parent. Still, I can always hope for the best...

I guess this has turned into an essay. Sometimes I write essays. And I don't even have to, or anything. It just feels really good. Really, really good. Writing. I like it. And, this is one I happen to let other people read. 'Cause other moms read this sometimes. And, we moms have to stick together.

In short:

Fingerprints: Leave them be.

Poor Woody...

...he never saw it coming.

Little did he know, he had moved into Sid's house...

economy-schmonomy

Steve and I were just joking the other day about it seems that "The Economy" has become the go-to scape goat of late...the excuse for anything that goes wrong...

Then I read this article from a great and often un-PC writer {this article being one of her most mild--if you read on, you'll discover the controversy} and had a good ha...haha..ha... moment.

Read the post I wish I wrote first, here.

Inspiration revisited

There was this talk that absolutely spoke to me.

For a reminder of something beautiful, click here, please.

And for the talk in it's entirety, go ahead, click.

Now, let's be about some creating.